The Cast Of The Big Bang Theory: What They Looked Like In Their First Episode And Now

Can you believe hit CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory has been on our screens for over a decade now? When this show chronicling the adventures of four scientists and their hot neighbor first aired back in 2007, nobody imagined it would take off in the way it has. It's currently airing its eleventh season and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon! Fans of the show can rejoice - Big Bang is going to be on your screens until at least 2019.

When a show runs for this long, it's inevitable that its cast is going to undergo some physical changes over the seasons. After all, it's a very rare and lucky person that doesn't change at all over the space of a decade! The cast is now in their thirties and forties, although you'd never tell with a lot of them! As is always the case with the passage of time, some of the famous faces at the helm of Big Bang have aged better than others. Who's still fresh-faced, and who looks way older than their years? Which actors and actresses look radically different when out of character? Well, you'll have to read on to find out!

15 Kaley Cuoco is Still Incredibly Sultry

If anything, Kaley Cuoco is even more totally stunning than when she first starred as aspiring actress Penny in Big Bang's first season. That's not to say her looks haven't changed over the years. Cuoco got a memorable pixie cut back in 2014, lopping off the majority of her gorgeous blonde locks. While she's since grown her hair back out, pretty much every hairstyle she's had has suited her. It's not fair!

Despite crossing the boundaries from her twenties to her thirties while filming the Big Bang, Cuoco hasn't lost her looks. She looks as beautiful as she did during her modeling days, and has the bright personality to match. While she was unlucky in love for most of her twenties - she went through numerous breakups, including a divorce - things seem to be looking up for Kaley now. She got engaged to her long-term boyfriend Karl Cook on November 30th, 2017 - her 32nd birthday! Good for her!

14 Simon Helberg Has Gotten Better Looking - And More Political

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Admit it: you never expected me to say that goofy Big Bang character Howard Wolowitz is actually super hot in real life. His weird hair, 70's fashion taste, and initially sleazy ways make him quite unattractive on the show. However, turns out Howard's actor Simon Helberg is pretty darn good-looking out of character. His looks have matured with age, and the addition of a slight beard to his look only adds to his general handsomeness. Who'd have thought it?

As well as increasing in hotness over the years, Helberg has also become a lot more political. He uses his position in the public eye to champion a number of causes, most memorably the plight of refugees. Helberg and his wife, Jocelyn Towne, used the January 2017 SAG Awards to protest Donald Trump's proposed immigration curbs. Helberg held a sign that stated "Refugees Welcome", while Towne wrote "Let Them In" on her actual body. Whatever your politics, you can't fault the couple's dedication.

13 Kunal Nayyar Is Way More Confident Than His Character

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At the very beginning of The Big Bang Theory, Howard's wingman and prestigious astrophysicist Raj is pretty painfully shy. He's so socially awkward that he's rendered totally mute around women. Despite being pretty cute, Raj's goofy hair and questionable fashion taste don't help his attempts at dating. However, things get better for him over the seasons, and he has a number of prominent girlfriends.

In real life, Raj's actor Kunal Nayyar is a lot more confident than his character. He hasn't changed much since the show first aired - in fact, he's barely aged a day! We need to know his anti-aging secrets! However, Nayyar's look is drastically different to Raj's. He doesn't go for the nerdy physicist middle parting and dresses like a modern man rather than somebody's granddad. It's a vast improvement!

12 Bernadette Actress Melissa Rauch Is So Much Steamier In Real Life

Okay, this HAS to be the biggest transformation of any Big Bang cast member. Melissa Rauch is best known for portraying Bernadette, a smart and savvy microbiologist who goes on to marry Howard. She's fairly unadventurous fashion-wise on the show, sticking to more practical clothes that don't get in the way of her lab work. To start with, it seemed like Rauch was fairly similar to her character: sweet, homely, and not particularly saucy.

However, that all seems to have changed over the past few years. Rauch has gained confidence and has subsequently surprised us with some pretty raunchy photo shoots. She's not afraid of letting loose and has turned out pretty different to her prim and proper character! Rauch is a total blonde bombshell. Howard is a seriously lucky guy!

11 Mayim Bialik Has A Glamorous Side

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When Amy Farrah Fowler joined Big Bang's cast of characters back in Season 3, it became clear pretty quickly that she was here to stay. She's a pretty impressive woman, to be fair! Not only is she an incredibly intelligent neuroscientist, she's also the only woman who's ever managed to convince Sheldon that dating someone might be a good idea. While Sheldon's issues with physical and emotional intimacy made the two a pretty platonic couple for a long time, they finally got physical in Season Nine and are now happily engaged!

At first, Amy's appearance was decidedly frumpy. She dressed pretty conservatively and 'sexy' didn't seem to be on her radar. However, this has changed somewhat since Amy and Sheldon's relationship got serious. Meanwhile, Amy's actress Mayim Bialik has always had a far sexier look than her character! She still looks great after eight seasons on the show, and certainly knows how to dazzle on the red carpet!

10 Stuart Actor Kevin Sussman Looks Old and Tired

Comic book shop owner Stuart has had a bigger and bigger role in TheBig Bang Theory as the seasons have progressed. While actor Kevin Sussman was initially only supposed to be a guest star, he was promoted to a starring role after Season Six.

Sussman started off the series looking pretty fresh-faced, despite being in his late thirties when he first got the role of Stuart. However, as he's ventured into his forties his age has started to show. He's started to look more and more tired and pale, and his middle-aged grumpiness is now authentic rather than just acting. His hair is even starting to go grey around the edges! Still, he is nearly 50 now - maybe we should give him a break! Aging is going to happen to us all in the end...

9 Sara Gilbert is Barely Recognizable - And Not In A Good Way

Sara Gilbert was with The Big Bang Theory pretty much from the start. Her character, Leslie Winkle, was Leonard's on-again, off-again love interest before he shacked up with Penny. Gilbert was deliberately intended to basically look like the female equivalent of Leonard: thick glasses and sweatshirts were an integral part of her character's wardrobe. While this combo is pretty unflattering on basically everyone, Gilbert pulled it off. She took geek chic to the next level and looked pretty good doing it.

These days, Gilbert is looking seriously run down. However, that could be something to do with the fact she's got a toddler to look after! She married her wife, former 4 Non-Blondes frontwoman Linda Perry, in 2014, and gave birth to their son a year later. Motherhood is bound to take its toll on anybody's looks! Gilbert has been generally absent from Big Bang for some years now, only appearing sporadically since Season Three. Who knows, maybe Leslie Winkle will pop up again sometime!

When Laura Spencer joined the cast of The Big Bang Theory back in Season Seven as Raj's love interest Emily, we were all totally stoked. Not only is she totally gorgeous, she also presented poor, single Raj with his best dating option in years! The two eventually got together and seemed to be the perfect couple. However, to fans' horror Spencer left the show after Raj became infatuated with a barmaid and dumped Emily. WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? It's beyond belief.

Spencer's first Big Bang episode may have only aired in the 2013/2014 season, but we still think she's changed a little bit since then. Back in 2013, Spencer was still quite babyfaced and definitely didn't look her 27 years. These days, she's matured a bit - and looks more beautiful than ever. She's also decided to jazz up her gorgeous red hair with some choppy bangs. Not everyone can pull that off, but it definitely suits Laura! Seriously. Why on earth did the writers think cutting her character was a good idea?

7 Sara Rue's Weight Loss Transformation Is Incredible

Sara Rue didn't star in The Big Bang Theory for long, featuring in Season Two as recurring character Stephanie. While she was originally set up with Howard, Stephanie ended up preferring Leonard and the two dated for some weeks. However, things soured when Stephanie began to move the relationship forward too quickly and Leonard expressed doubts. She was never seen or heard of again after Leonard asked her to move out of his and Sheldon's apartment.

Stephanie's actress, Sara Rue, is pretty much unrecognizable now compared to her Big Bang days. She's dropped an astounding four dress sizes and has lost over 50 pounds! Rue stated that when she hit 30, she decided it was time to change her diet and exercise habits for good. After undergoing her own weight loss transformation, she decided to encourage others to do the same by fronting various dieting campaigns. She's still acting and has also become a mom! Congrats to her!

6 A Bereavement Has Taken Its Toll On Christine Baranski

Christine Baranski has been one of Hollywood's most respected actresses for decades. Younger film buffs might recognize her as prolific cougar Tanya in Mamma Mia, the sequel to which is coming out in 2018! She's also made guest appearances in Big Bang quite a few times now as Leonard's mom. Obviously, playing the mother of a thirty-something-year-old man requires you to look like a bit of an older lady. However, Baranski always looked pretty remarkable for someone in her 60s!

Unfortunately, the past few years have aged Baranski quite a bit. Her beloved husband of over thirty years, fellow actor Matthew Cowles, died of heart failure in 2014. Since then, stress and grief have taken their toll. While many people seem to think Baranski has had plastic surgery to slow down the aging process, the actress has categorically denied this. She says she's content to let nature and time take their course. Good for her!

Kate Micucci first appeared in The Big Bang Theory in Season Six. She portrayed Raj's love interest Lucy, a woman who seemed perfect for the socially awkward scientist due to her own social anxiety. The two understood each other's issues perfectly, and it was a shame when they eventually broke up after Raj pressured Lucy to meet his friends. The character did reappear in Season Ten when Raj got all of his exes together to try and find out what he did wrong in his relationships.

In generally, Micucci doesn't look much different to her first Big Bang appearance back in 2013. However, it seems that she can be as shy as her character at times! She was recently pictured looking pretty flustered upon her arrival at the Sundance Film Festival and seemed uneasy being around so many people. To be fair, nobody really wants to be pushing through an airport that's packed with paparazzi! To give Micucci credit, she still looks pretty amazing for someone who's nearing 40.

4 Wil Wheaton Has Got a Bigger Beard... And a Bigger Body

Star Trek actor Wil Wheaton has been playing a fictionalized version of himself in Big Bang since the show's third season. His ongoing rivalry with former fan Sheldon has made for many a laugh, and Wheaton's ability to poke fun at himself has made him a welcome addition to the cast. He's showed up at least once in every season bar one since his original cameo.

The regularity of Wheaton's appearances on the show has made it pretty easy to track how he's changed over the years. For one, he's now sporting a pretty impressive beard! While he always had a bit of stubble going on, his facial hair is full-on bushy now. He's changed hairstyles from a fairly regular cut to a side-swept emo-like style, although he's still as jolly as ever. Wheaton has also got a little bit larger over the past few years - he's definitely a bit fuller in the face and slightly thicker in the body. Still, if he's happy, who are we to judge? Just as long as he keeps reappearing to torment Sheldon, we're all good.

3 Aarti Mann Is Bigger, But Still Beautiful

Aarti Mann was a recurring star in Big Bang's fourth and fifth seasons. She portrayed Raj's sexy sister Priya who turned out to have a bit of a romantic history with Leonard. They rekindle their fling when Priya comes to visit - much to Raj's annoyance - but end up splitting after she returns to India and cheats on Leonard with her ex-boyfriend. Ouch!

To be honest, it's easy to see why Leonard was so smitten with Priya. As well as being a smart cookie and a lot of fun, Aarti Mann also happens to be totally stunning. While she's a little bit bigger than back in her Big Bang days, she still looks pretty amazing! Can you believe she's turning 40 in 2018? She really doesn't look it! She seriously needs to share her anti-aging secrets.

2 Newlywed Jim Parsons Has A New Lease Of Life

Since he began starring as Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons' life has changed immeasurably. Before the show, he was a little-known actor who took on the occasional minor role. Now, he's won four Emmys out of six nominations for his portrayal of Sheldon, earns at least $1 million an episode, and is never short of other movie and TV roles. He's also now a married man - he wed his long-time partner Todd Spiewak back in May 2017!

Despite all of this excitement and action, Parsons has barely aged since the first episode of The Big Bang Theory aired over a decade ago. Despite being well into his forties, he can easily pass as 30-something-year-old Sheldon! Parsons has maintained his slim frame and handsome looks and seems to be happier than ever.

1 Johnny Galecki Has Seriously Put On Weight

The years haven't been quite as kind to Leonard actor Johnny Galecki as they have to some of his co-stars. When he started filming The Big Bang Theory back in 2007, Galecki was in his early thirties and looked pretty good for it. He was slim and kind of sexy in a nerdy way.

Now aged 42, the actor looks totally different. He's put on weight, for one - talk about a middle-aged spread! He's grown out his beard a bit and has grey patches starting to show. The more pronounced age lines on Galecki's face could well be down to stress - he's been through a lot, especially in recent times. He's been through some difficult breakups, including with his Big Bang co-star Kaley Cuoco back in 2009 - major props to those two for being able to work together for so long afterward! Galecki also lost his entire California ranch to a wildfire back in June 2017, a tragedy that would age anyone. Poor Johnny!